Editor’s Note: Kara Alaimo is an associate professor of communications at Fairleigh Dickinson University. Her book “Influence: Why Social Media is Toxic to Women and Girls – And How We Get It Back” was published in 2024 by Alcove Press. Follow her on Instagram, Facebook and Bluesky.
If you or someone you know is struggling with suicide thoughts or mental health issues, call 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline by dialing 988 and connecting with a trained counselor, or 988 Lifeline Website.
Many parents worry about how much time their children spend on their screens. However, new research suggests that in order to grasp how these platforms are affecting children, we need to focus on something else.
A study published on Wednesday, June 18 in Jama, the American Medical Association magazine, found that the amount of time children spent on social media, mobile phones and video games was not related to more internalizing symptoms of mental health issues, such as anxiety and depression. That time was not related to more externalizing symptoms of mental health issues, such as rule breaking and aggression, or suicidal behavior or suicidal ideation.
What mattered was whether they were addicted.
Unicio, an assistant professor at the Faculty of Population Health Sciences and the School of Psychiatry at Weil Cornell Medical University in New York, says addictive use is “overuse” and “overuseful use” that is hindered. “They find a craving for it and can’t stop using it.”
Researchers found that almost half of the young people studied had a highly addictive trajectory on their mobile phones, with over 40% following a highly addictive trajectory on video games.
Children with high or increased use of social media and mobile phones were 2-3 times higher risk of suicidal behavior and suicidal ideation than children in lower orbit, according to a study of more than 4,000 US children over four years. Participants were either 9 or 10 years old at the start of the study.
Other results are as follows: Young people with increased or increased use of social media were at an increased risk of symptoms of mental health problems. Many use of video games was associated with a higher risk of mental health problems, suicidal behavior, and symptoms of suicidal ideation.
Girls were more likely than boys when they had a higher trajectory of addictive social media use, while boys were more likely to have a higher trajectory of addictive video games.
Xiao admitted that the results were self-reported and that this study failed to explain genetic or environmental factors that could affect the results.
This study reveals that parents should help parents avoid this type of addiction.
“We’re setting the boundary line early,” said Melissa Greenberg, a clinical psychologist at Princeton Psychotherapy Center in New Jersey. She was not involved in this study.
Kids need to know that using mobile phones, video games and other technologies can be fine.
She also suggested schedule screen-free times during meals and at night. She recommended that she not let the phone be in her teen bedroom after spending the designated time each night.
Greenberg also encouraged activities aimed at teenagers without screens and suggested planning if necessary. When I talk to my parents, I tell them to hang out with more friends. Many parents worry about their child’s safety when they gather in person, but being in the social media bedroom is far more dangerous to be able to connect with predators and sixor chemists or simply become addicted.
Also, “Model your healthy relationship with your own device,” Greenberg said. “Parents should be aware of the use of devices around their children and show them examples of how to balance screen time with screenless times.”
The unreliable generation, a move caused by the book that bears Jonathan Hyde, asked young people to commit on a screen-free summer Friday last year. Can I try this summer with my kids?
This week I will be speaking at a counselor training session at summer camps in Wisconsin and New England, trying to convince you that clearing your phone will give you the best summer of your life.
We point out that learning to get used to ourselves and our thoughts is a skill that unfortunately requires practice these days, learning to get used to ourselves and our thoughts is to be content with ourselves and our thoughts rather than pulling out the phone in our spare time. You can try it by going on a walk (with headphones sun), sitting, watching the sunset, or lying in a hammock. What’s more fun in the summer?
It’s also important to tell children how addictive the screen is “in a non-judgmental way,” Greenberg said. “Screens are meant to attract our attention…and social media platforms are designed to make us come back for more. It’s important that we all recognize this.”
Finally, she said parents need to create a device agreement with their children. You need to work together to determine what kind of use is acceptable, what daily limits and consequences are for breaking the rules, etc.
“Involving the teens in this process,” Greenberg recommended, so they understand the rationale.
Next, the kids will look closely to see if these strategies are working. The key point of the study is “if you don’t look into their addictive use,” Xiao said, “we’ll probably miss it.”
Signs that could lead to children becoming addicted include “obsessive use or out of control” to use these platforms, Greenberg said. “This may seem like you’re going to check your phone frequently or constantly every few minutes, or relying on video games, relying on inappropriate situations, at school, late at night, or on homework.
Other signs of addiction are when children try to reduce their use but are unable to follow restrictions, or when they get into trouble at school or at work or are troubled by friends.
Addicted children may try to hide or lie about their use. And if parents ask about it they might get defensive, Greenberg said.
“Symptoms of withdrawal are classic signs of addiction,” Greenberg warned. Children may be worried, irritated, saddened or angry when they don’t have access to their platform, she said.
Another warning sign is when the child does not fulfill his or her responsibility or engage in offline activities. “This may seem like teens don’t want to do or engage in face-to-face interactions or feel constantly distracted when they try them,” Greenberg said. “You may find that teens don’t want to meet their friends in person or don’t fulfill their responsibilities, such as homework or family responsibilities.”
Finally, parents should be aware of symptoms that their children are not getting enough sleep. “Phone and video game addiction can lead to lack of sleep when teens play phones and video games, which can lead to lack of sleep, depriving them of sleep, leading to fatigue, irritability, anxiety and depression,” Greenberg said.
If you think your child might be addicted, try not to be judged, Greenberg said. Remember they probably don’t want to be addicted, and that’s not a sign you’ve failed as a parent. The problem is that these devices seem to be designed to make us crazy.
“We need to teach them, not shame them,” she said.
Talk to your kids about how they feel and try to understand why they spend so much time on these platforms, she said. Schedule other activities and create or modify device agreements. “If you already have it, we’re talking about what’s not working or not working,” she said, “troubleshooting.”
However, Greenberg advised that if addiction appears to have negative consequences or hinder your child’s functioning, he is seeking help from a mental health professional.
This latest study suggests that parents need to worry more about whether they are showing signs of addiction, such as the amount of time their children are spending on screens.
Parents can take steps to prevent this. However, if the child appears to be addicted, it is important to help them avoid potentially serious consequences.
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